The Light and the Darkness
by FalconPrincess
Summary: The First Order journeys to the planet Volik to capture a girl who the Supreme Leader believes to be extremely powerful. She is everything that Kylo Ren is not; born dark but struggling to live in the light. A romance between the two could prove to be difficult, but the question remains: Who will succumb to the struggle raging within them?
1. Chapter 1

Gray eyes flew open in the dim cell, searching for light. A thin beam streamed through a small flap in the lower third of the door and barely made the features of the room discernable. Elara was on the floor, and as she turned her head away from the door she saw a plane of metal protruding from the wall, about six feet in length.

 _Is that supposed to be my bed?_ She thought, bewildered. _A simple, flat sheet of metal._

 _Is that what I've been reduced to?_ She snorted in disdain, _We treat murderers better than that on Volik._

Pistons hissed as the door slid open, momentarily blinding Elara. She shielded her eyes with a hand as they adjusted, and was confused when she saw a bandage wrapped around it, stretching from mid-finger to an inch below her wrist. The faint smell of blood sent a memory crashing into her.

She was running. Faster than she had ever run in her life, she ran from the First Order and their chrome captain. She didn't know what she would do if they caught her, but she did not want to stay around and find out. So she ran. Trees flew past her in emerald blurs, branches whipping her face and needles pricking her bare feet. A stream gurgled just ahead of her.

 _If I can just make it to the water, I can lose them._

The rushing water seemed to pull her, making her feet fly faster. Then, her foot dipped down into a hole in the earth and she was twisting, and she was falling. She tried to catch herself with her hands, but her right fell on a sharp stone just before her head hit something hard. Her vision blurred and blackened as something warm began to cover her hand. The metal captain was approaching, at an almost lackadaisical speed, and a blaster was aimed between her eyes…

Elara jerked up, her collar being pulled by a trooper in white until she sat upright. Her body ached, and she winced, glaring at the trooper who disturbed her rest. Just as she was about to give them a piece of her mind, the one in chrome strode through the door, cape billowing around her legs.

"The General requests your presence on the bridge immediately. Can you walk?" her cold, metallic voice filled the room. Elara pursed her lips and nodded, not entirely sure what the answer to that question was herself, but she may as well try, right? She braced herself on the "bed" and pulled herself to her feet, placing her left gingerly on the floor. She moved to take a step, but as soon as her weight was placed on her injured leg, it buckled beneath her. Another trooper had entered the cell, and he caught her under the arm as she fell. The captain motioned to the other trooper, he grabbed her under her other arm, and both of them began to drag her out of the cell and down the halls.

They entered the bridge after the seemingly endless maze of metal corridors, and she was brought in front of a tall, angry looking man. He grabbed Elara roughly under her chin and jerked her face upwards so that her gaze met his. His icy eyes seemed to penetrate straight through her, and a chill went down her spine.

"This is the girl. Captain Phasma, have you notified the Supreme Leader that she is in our custody?" his harsh voice cut through the silence of the room.

"Of course, General Hux. What shall we do with her until then?" the captain replied.

The man contemplated her for a moment, then released her chin. "Take her back to her cell. When Ren returns, he can deal with her."

The captain nodded and motioned to the troopers, and they began their journey back to Elara's cell.

For the next three days, she lay on the metal bed, picking at the food that a trooper would occasionally throw through the flap on the door. She had taken off the leather jacket she wore and balled it up to make a pillow, leaving herself in her thin tank top. Most of the time she slept, but in order to pass the time while she was awake, she sang. Music on Volik was abundant, so Elara had plenty of songs to choose from, but she saved her favorite for when she was having a particularly difficult time sleeping. It was the one her mother sang to her as a child, and it spoke of the beauty of nature: the wind whispering through the trees, the singing birds, the rush of the waterfalls.

This was the song she was singing when _he_ arrived. The door flew open, and he stepped into her cell menacingly. His looming figure was dressed in all black and a mask covered his face. Troopers flanked him on either side, and at his silent command they grabbed her and brought her up to face him.

"Elara Makali, welcome to Starkiller Base." his voice was low and hollow, and Elara could swear that, under that mask, a wicked smile was plastered on his face.

"My name is Kylo Ren."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hello! Thank you all for reading! I'm really excited about this story, because this is one that I've been wanting to do for months but just now got around to starting. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

* * *

The troopers, dragging Elara as they had done a few days earlier, brought her to another room, a different kind of cell that some sort of a chair dead in the center of it. Kylo Ren followed them in and, as they strapped her into the chair, he began to pace behind it. As much as she wanted to turn her head to watch him, Elara faced forward and kept a straight face, not giving away the twinge of terror that began to grip at her belly. Was he going to torture her? What could they possibly want from her?

His voice interrupted her frantic thoughts, "You're a very hard woman to find, Elara."

Her response was a simple "I don't talk to men in masks."

"You might just have to get used to it. Do you have any idea why the First Order needed you, Elara?" his dark figure moved into view on her left.

She set her jaw and kept staring straight ahead of her, refusing to answer his question. Kylo sighed and came around in front of her, reaching up to the underside of his helmet. He seemed to hesitate, if only for a second, then Elara heard a hiss and he was pulling the mask off. His dark hair spilled out of it, and he shook his head in an attempt to tame it, his deep brown eyes meeting hers with an almost annoyed look in them. He lifted his hands, as if he was saying _Are you happy now?_ She nodded once.

"I honestly have no idea what you could possibly want with me." She answered, still guarding herself from him.

"Come now, my Queen. Take a guess." he flashed a wicked grin at her.

"Well, since you've addressed me with my formal title, I suppose you may have some sort of political motivation. Am I here so you can force me to pledge my kingdom's allegiance to the First Order? If so, we could have done this in the comfort of my home back on Volik-"

"That's not why you're here." Kylo interrupted. "Do you not know who you are, Elara? Yes, your mother was the Queen and your father was the King before you, but you are so much _more_ than just Volik royalty. Do you know what my master told me? He told me that, years before you were born, your mother had a vision. It came to her as she slept, and it told her that the first child she bore would one day become one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. She was visiting the ice planet of Ilum during her pregnancy of you, a world that lives and breathes the Force, and it is also home to the largest population of kyber crystals. I trust you know what those are, my Queen?" with a shake of her head, Kylo placed his hand on the hilt of his saber and wiggled it, "It's what gives these their power, Elara. They grow in caves on Ilum, and when you came early your mother had no choice but to birth you right smack in the middle of one of those caves, with the Force so strong around you that it seeped into you with every breath you took."

At this point, Elara had no words for what he was telling her. Never once had her mother mentioned to her anything about a prophecy or the Force, but as Ren spoke, everything in her life seemed to make sense. The strange things that had happened when she was a child, how all of her guards were so quick to protect her from anything that might upset her, and the fire that had been burning inside of her ever since her parents were murdered.

"Elara," Kylo said softly, "I can help you. I can teach you how to use it, how to control it, but you have to trust me. Can you do that?"

She nodded, still shocked to the core with what she had learned. Her eyes were wide, but as she continued to nod it became more fervent, until she uttered, "Show me."

With a wave of his hand, Kylo released her restraints, and went to catch her as her leg buckled. She held up a hand to stop him, wanting to walk by herself. He nodded and held out his hand to her.

"Come, my Queen. We have much to learn."


	3. Chapter 3

Apparently "training" meant being stuck in a room staring at a wall for countless hours a day with little to no contact with anyone except for the occasional trooper who came to take her laundry. Elara spent hours just sleeping, reading whatever books she found in the room she was now staying in, and singing her songs. At least she was out of that damned cell though. This room was much bigger, with an actual bed (even though her's back on Volik was _much_ better), a full bathroom with a toilet and shower, a closet full of clothes (none of which seemed to fit her properly), and a bookcase with a handful of books in a few different languages.

Weeks passed in that room, and Elara ran out of books to read and songs to sing, so she resorted to banging her fist on the door to her room and begging anyone to let her out, even for a few minutes. She did this many times a day, seemingly to no effect, until one day, after her first knock the door flew open and Kylo Ren himself entered her room. His mask was covering his face once more and he did not seem very happy. He came toward her and she stepped away until her back was pressed to the wall and he leaned over her menacingly.

"You are causing quite the _disturbance_ , my lady, and I would greatly appreciate it if you would stop." it was more of a command than a request.

"I wouldn't be making so much of a disturbance if you'd let me out of this damn room instead of keeping me locked away like some kind of animal. All I want is some time outside of here," Elara leaned toward him, causing him to back up a couple of steps, "to be able to see other people. I'm going crazy just sitting here in this room. What happened to training me?"

"Your training will begin when the Supreme Leader wishes it. As for letting you out, I'll see what can be done."

"Thank you-" Kylo held up his hand to stop her.

"I'm not making any promises, and if you are let out a trooper will accompany you at all times. You are to remain on your best behavior." she nodded. Kylo stood back, surveying Elara and the baggy clothes she was dressed in. "We'll also see about getting you some clothes that actually fit you I suppose. Those won't do," she raised an eyebrow, "for training, of course." he saved himself. He exited the room without another word to her, mumbling orders to the trooper that was stationed outside. The door closed once more and Elara flopped down on the bed, letting out a sigh. _What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

The next few days went by far better than the previous weeks; she was let out for meals three times a day and was allowed to interact with anyone she wished in the dining hall. She succeeded in making a few friends: Jessica, a Lieutenant under General Hux, TR-9120, a young trooper who had yet to go out into the field, and Luis, a servant boy responsible for cleaning and repairing armor. The third day after Kylo visited her, she was brought to a seamstress on board and fitted for a whole array of different clothes. She was sent back to her room with multiple gowns, slacks, blouses, boots, and even a nice jacket she could wear when she got cold. Even then, Elara was dying for some jewelry, and after a couple more days, a trooper came back with a package full of different gold, silver, and gemstone jewelry, and Elara instantly felt better. They may have taken her away from her kingdom, but she was still a queen and it made her feel more at home when she had fancy things.

A few more weeks passed, with no sign of Kylo, and Elara became worried that her training would never begin. She tried to talk to Jessica about it, but the girl insisted that she knew nothing about Ren's whereabouts or how much longer Elara would be kept waiting. That day, about a month after Kylo's visit, Elara went back to her room disheartened. She had barely eaten her dinner because she had grown so stressed, and all she felt like doing was sleeping. She figured she should probably take a shower first, because the warm water might make sleep easier, so she grabbed a towel and walked into the bathroom, sliding the door shut behind her.

The water was scalding, just as she liked it, and the bathroom fogged up quickly. Elara stripped and wiped some of the fog off of the mirror to look at herself. She was in no means a small girl, but she was blessed with a nice hourglass figure: her thighs and hips were large, her waist was relatively small, her stomach was not flat and her breasts were fairly average for a woman of her age. She smiled, deciding she was satisfied with how she looked, and opened the glass shower door, stepping into the hot water. Her waist length hair felt instantly heavy on her head as the water soaked it, and she began to regret washing it today. After she washed, she stood under the water, enjoying its burn on her skin, when she heard a noise come from outside the bathroom. She turned toward the door, suddenly on guard, when two troopers burst through it.

"What the hell?" Elara exclaimed, shocked that they would enter her room like this. Then, Kylo Ren entered, and her shock turned into anger. She quickly shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. Kylo motioned for the troopers to leave and they obeyed, leaving just the two of them in the room.

"Elara, the-" Elara held up a finger, stopping him, and pointed to his mask. He sighed and heeded her request, also taking off his gloves and setting them carefully on the counter beside him. She noticed him almost struggling not to look at her anywhere other than her eyes, and she let out a small laugh.

"The Supreme Leader has instructed me to begin your training." he managed, visibly frustrated that she had noticed his awkward struggle.

"That's great," Elara smiled even wider, finding his discomfort hilarious, "when do we start?"

"Tonight. You will accompany me to my chambers and we will begin there." Kylo looked off to the side.

"You know, you _can_ look at me. On Volik, nudity isn't necessarily as taboo as it is in other places." Kylo's gaze remained fixed on the wall beside him. Elara reached up and placed her hand on the side of his face, feeling him tense but guiding his gaze back to her. "Look at me." it was a gentle command. He let his eyes flicker down her form for a mere second before returning to her face, where he was greeted with an arched brow and an unamused look from Elara. Giving up, he let his eyes wander her body, giving in to what he actually wanted instead of playing the gentleman. She watched as he took in every curve and shape of her, and was surprised to say the least when his hand slightly raised, almost as though he wanted to touch her. He dropped it quickly and color crept into his face. He looked away, embarrassed, exited the room, and came back with clothes for her. Elara, amused, took them from him and began to dress.

"Lord Ren, I'm beginning to think that you've never seen a woman naked." this prompted no response from him, who began to put his helmet and gloves back on. "It's nothing to be ashamed of." she continued. He began to leave the room again as Elara finished dressing, and she called out after him.

"Lord Ren?" he stopped, not turning around. "If you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask. No need for this silly pretense." she grinned widely, knowing that, underneath his mask, his face was tomato red. He simply walked out of her room without a word, and she followed. _Time to start my training._ She was ready.


	4. Chapter 4

As Elara dressed and prepared herself for her training, she let her mind wander. She thought mostly of Kylo Ren and his reaction to seeing her naked and couldn't help but laugh as the scene replayed in her mind. _I suppose he's sort of handsome, in a dark and brooding way._ She quickly shook off this thought though. Ever since Elara was a girl, she knew that she would have to one day wed a wealthy lord in order to keep the royalty on Volik pure, and she had been taught from a young age that there was no room for love in the life of a queen. She had seen her fair share of suitors and had her fair share of intimacy, but she remained guarded so as to not develop any romantic feelings for any of them. Still she smiled at the innocence of the masked man. A man who had killed countless people seemed like a child when faced with a woman's body.

Focusing now on dressing, a laugh crept back into Elara's throat as she held up the clothes that Kylo Ren had brought to her. She emerged from the room wearing a long sleeved black shirt (it was form fitting, but was admittedly the most modest thing she had chosen from the tailor) and matching cargo pants. A trooper was waiting for her and, without a word, began to lead her through the halls to Kylo Ren's chambers. Surprisingly enough it was not a long walk, but it felt like a century to Elara, who had grown extremely nervous about her training. _What would we even be doing? What could he possibly teach me about something that was apparently so natural?_ Her thoughts were interrupted by the metal door in front of her sliding to the side and the trooper motioning for her to enter. She did as she was told, heard the door hiss closed behind her, and began surveying the room around her. The room definitely matched the man; dark curtains hung over a large window, the bed was messy and made with black sheets, and an open book rested face-down on the nightstand. Elara also noticed that, to her dismay, the room was devoid of any life except for herself. She made her way over to the window and pulled back the curtains, standing in awe for a moment at the beautiful view of the system they were near. A swirling blue planet was closest to them, with thick clouds covering its surface. Elara made a mental note to demand a room with a view when she saw Kylo Ren, wherever he was.

Walking back to the bed, frustrated that he would disturb her and not show up to his own room, Elara sighed and sat on the edge. After waiting for a few minutes in silence, she scooted up onto the bed entirely and lay down, pulling the thick black comforter over her. This bed was definitely more comfortable than the one in her room, so she made another mental note. She wanted a bed like this. Soon her eyes drooped and sleep crept over her, and right before she fell asleep she felt a slight twinge of remorse for putting her wet hair all over one of Kylo Ren's pillows, but it was gone as soon as she fell asleep. She wasn't sure how long she had been out, but she woke to the sound of a shower being turned on. Realizing she was still in Kylo Ren's room, she briefly considered doing what he had done to her earlier and barging in on him while he showered, but she figured that she should be more polite than he was. After all, she was a guest for a known killer and really didn't want to push her luck. She lay in silence until she heard the water stop, and when the bathroom door slid open, she propped herself up on her right elbow, facing the door.

Kylo Ren emerged, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair sticking down to his head. He seemed surprised to see her awake and facing him, because he jumped slightly and began to blush again. Elara admired his build silently as he quickly went to grab his clothes. He was muscular but not extremely defined, and Elara felt a smirk rise to her lips before he retreated into the bathroom again. He walked out a second time, this time wearing a black t-shirt and black cargo pants like the ones she wore, and ran a hand through his long hair, causing it to spike up at odd angles. He cleared his throat and gestured to Elara, "I can see you've already made yourself comfortable."

"Well, you did leave me alone in here for god knows how long, so I figured it would be the best way to pass the time." She shrugged. He gave no response as he approached the bed and sat crosslegged across from her, instructing her to do the same.

"Okay, I, um, want you to sit like this with your hands resting on your legs and palms facing up, right?" Elara obeyed, letting her body relax. "Now close your eyes."

More hesitantly this time, Elara did as she was told, slowly letting her eyes close.

"Open your mind. Focus on the space around you. The Force is everything, from the air you breathe to the blood flowing through your veins it controls and lives through everything. Reach out with your mind and feel it, try to focus on one specific source the first time. Try finding me, it shouldn't be too hard to do, feel that fire inside of you and reach out with it until you feel it touch something."

Elara was confused, but tried to do what he instructed anyway. She reached down into that fire inside of her and was almost swept away into it; it crashed into her and surrounded her, swirling and raging and burning around her. She flinched instinctively and bit her lip, trying to focus on controlling the fire. Her brow furrowed and she grunted in frustration, the fire still storming around her. The slightest brush of fingertips on her forearms barely registered in her mind; the fire was still raging and consuming her, a blur of reds and oranges and yellows blinding her and burning her, and still she tried to tame it. She was completely lost in it now, however, and she struggled to stay present. Firm hands pressed to the sides of her face and a voice called out her name over and over again, and her eyes flew open, instantly meeting a pair of dark brown ones.

Kylo Ren's.

Her rigid body went limp all at once and she fell forward into him, letting out a small gasp. He caught her and lay her down again, pulling the blanket up and over her shoulders and mumbling some soothing words to her. Elara's eyes remained wide open, but he coaxed her to close them and go to sleep, gently rubbing her back to calm her. She drifted off quickly and fell into a very deep sleep, Kylo Ren's presence comforting her and his low voice lulling her to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Kylo Ren watched Elara's eyes close and soon heard a soft snore come from her and, after making sure she was asleep for good, stood. He ran a hand through his hair and cursed. _She's even more powerful than I could have imagined. That raw power was stronger than mine, possibly even stronger than the Supreme Leader's._ He watched her sleeping form in awe as he rubbed his tender wrists, glancing down at the quickly fading red marks wrapped around them. When she had been fighting with her inner power, it was not only herself that she was hurting. It had been lashing out at him too, wild and uncontrolled and extremely volatile, and had actually left physical marks. He needed to tell the Supreme Leader about what had happened, but he could not seem to tear himself away from the sleeping woman. Kylo Ren decided that he would stay by her side -or in the room at least- until she woke, so he pulled his plush suede chair over to the bedside and made himself comfortable; picking up the book he was in the process of reading off of the bedside table, some sort of history book that he was barely half-interested in. When Elara did not wake after a few hours, he ordered two plates of food: one for the both of them on the off chance that she woke up.

* * *

Three days. Elara slept for three days straight. At one point, Kylo Ren had the horrible thought that she might be in a coma, but he barred that thought out and prayed to whoever was listening that she was alright. In the early hours of the third day, he was asleep in the chair when a slight shifting woke him. She had been shifting around most of the time she was out, so he brushed it aside until he heard a small noise come from her. His eyes flew open and he moved toward her, watching her eyes flutter open and noting that they were more dull than he remembered, her skin more pale and her face more drawn. She managed a smile and made to sit up, but since her arms were shaky Kylo Ren helped her, bracing himself with one hand on the bed and supporting her under her arm with the other. When she was steadied, he went to go get her a glass of water, returning to find her running a hand through her hair and gazing around the room sluggishly. She took the glass of water and began to sip it slowly, raising her eyebrows as if to ask what the hell had happened. Kylo Ren held up three fingers and her eyes widened in shock before focusing on his arm. Over the course of the three days, Elara had had nightmares, and each time she had one it left him with more marks on his arms, and they weren't fading as quickly as he had hoped.

Elara set down her glass of water on the nightstand and leaned forward, motioning for him to meet her in the middle. Hesitantly, he moved from sitting in the chair to sitting on the bed next to her. She reached out and gingerly traced her fingertips along the angry marks on his skin, noticing that they extended almost up to his shoulders.

"What- what happened?" her voice was cracked and dry. He shook his head and mumbled "Nothing, not important." Then the realization struck her.

"Did I- was that… me?" Elara held a hand to her mouth and retracted her other, afraid she would somehow hurt him more. Kylo Ren grabbed both of her hands in his and forced her to look at him.

"Elara, it's okay, really it's not as bad as it looks. You couldn't help it, but you can learn how to control it in time. Please don't feel bad about this." He pleaded.

Elara shook her head, tears forming in her eyes, and looked down at their entwined hands. He gave them a gentle squeeze and leaned down so that their eyes met. He gave her a reassuring smile and she half returned one before looking away in embarrassment.

"I imagine you must be hungry. I'll have some food sent here" he let go of her hands and quickly disappeared out of the main door to his room. Elara figured she should probably freshen up a little, so she slowly made her way to the shower, taking her water with her and pulling her hair up into a bun. The shower was hot and relaxing, but as soon as she shut the water off, Elara remembered that she wasn't in her own room. She cursed herself lowly and made her way out to the bedroom wrapped in a towel. She wasn't sure whether she should put back on the clothes she was wearing earlier or try to borrow something from him, but she quickly decided on the latter. Elara felt almost guilty for going through his drawers, but she soon found what she needed and pulled the t-shirt over her head, sliding back under the comforter on the bed.

Kylo Ren soon returned with two trays piled high, set one down in front of her and took his to the chair next to the bed. Elara's mouth watered as she surveyed the eggs, bacon, pancakes, and hashbrowns on her plate, and her stomach seemed to remember how long it had been since she had eaten anything. She mumbled a quick thank you to him and proceeded to eat almost everything on the plate, and he watched her with a small smirk for a moment before beginning on his own food. When they had both finished, Elara set her tray aside and looked at Kylo Ren expectantly. Confused, he raised his eyebrows and shook his head slightly.

"Let's try again, I want to know how to control this." She said, crossing her legs in front of her and placing her hands on them. She began to close her eyes before she felt his hands grasp her arms, and she reopened them to find his intently on her, a worried look in them.

"We should wait, last time was sort of a complete failure and I don't want you hurting yourself again." His tone was low and laced with concern.

"Wait, are you telling me that Kylo Ren, coldblooded killer, is worried about me hurting myself?" Elara faked shock and gripped the underside of his arms in response, letting out a small chuckle. "Don't worry about me, I'm pretty tough you know." She winked and let go, sitting back and leaning on the headboard. He rolled his eyes and stood up, walking to his dresser and taking out some clothes.

"Just at least wait another day, okay? I'm going to shower and we can talk about it more later, yeah?" he pleaded, and Elara nodded. Kylo Ren nodded back and proceeded into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and turning the water on. He had just begun to wash when he felt it: a small itch on his wrist. He scratched it and shook it off, and it wasn't until he was rinsing that he felt it again, more intense this time. The sudden pain made him gasp and his gaze shot down to his forearms, where large pink lines had started forming. The realization hit him like a blaster shot and he bolted out of the shower, barely having enough time to turn off the water and throw a towel around his waist before crashing into the main bedroom. Elara was laying on her back in the center of the bed, thrashing violently. He rushed to her and grabbed her shoulders, trying to still her as best as he could, but his hands had been on her for no longer than a couple of seconds before he was thrown back against the wall opposite the bed. His head hit and he crashed to the floor, and when he looked up at her, she was floating about a foot above the bed. Her hair and the large shirt she was wearing (which he noticed in that moment was one of his) were hanging down off of her, and once he managed to stand up he was right by her side again. He gripped her hand and closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind. Where he expected to find an eruption of her power however, he found it calm and surprisingly enough in control. He used his power to slowly bring her down onto the bed, and as soon as she was down her eyes opened. Kylo Ren was sitting on the bed next to her now, with one hand propping himself up near her head and the other still firmly gripping hers. When their eyes met, Elara flashed a bright grin.

"I did it." was all she said, and she squeezed his hand.

"I told you to wait, Elara. You could have been hurt-"

"But I wasn't, I'm fine. I can control it now." Her grin grew wider and she sat up, still clutching his hand. "Nice body by the way, macho man." She winked at him and pinched lightly at his bare chest. Kylo Ren rolled his eyes and stood, turning to walk to the bathroom to dress, but Elara's grip on his hand didn't loosen. He looked back to see her once again eyeing the marks on his forearms, the smile on her lips fading. He squeezed her hand in reassurance that he was fine, and she let go, leaving him to make his way back to the bathroom. He slid the door shut and began mindlessly pulling his clothes on, wondering what exactly he was getting himself into.


	6. Chapter 6

A few months had passed since Elara had successfully been able to control her power, and by now she and Kylo had been working on moving objects across a table with her mind. It seemed very tedious to her, but he expressed that it was important to be able to refine one's abilities in order to fully master them, so she reluctantly agreed to continue working on small tasks. Kylo had been acting a bit strange lately, almost as though he had grown uncomfortable around Elara, but she tried not to think too much on it. As much as she didn't like to admit it, it really bothered her that he had grown so distant towards her; he only spoke to her during training, only made fleeting eye contact, and acted as though any skin to skin contact with her would kill him. She found herself wondering if it was because of what had happened the first couple of times she had attempted to use the Force: when she had hurt him, but he had never commented on what his problem was, so Elara couldn't be sure.

She was lazily playing with a mug, using the Force to throw it up into the air and float around, when an alarm sounded. When the first shriek rang out, Elara jumped and lost her concentration, dropping the mug onto the hard floor. She glanced down at the shattered remnants of the mug and cursed, but decided that whatever was making the alarm go off was probably more important than a broken mug, so she ran out of her room. Troopers swarmed around her, running in all different directions toward what she assumed were battle stations and barking orders at each other. Elara managed to navigate around them and headed toward Kylo's room, figuring she was safer there than anywhere else on the base. She pounded on his door to no response, so she crept through the halls in search of him.

Elara rounded a corner near the dining hall, and quickly ducked into one of the large clefts in the wall to her right after hearing unfamiliar voices up ahead. She tried reaching out with her mind to see who it was, and to her surprise, she found a group of five people, two of which she felt the Force in. One of them immediately shut themselves down to her reach, and she heard a man's voice quietly say "Someone's here. Someone like us, Rey, can you feel them?"

Elara immediately drew back and shut her eyes, pressing herself deeper into the crevice, hoping she wouldn't be found. Footsteps echoed through the hall, moving in her direction, and her breath stopped.

"Master, we need to hide. _He_ is on his way here." A woman's voice whispered, and the footsteps stopped. Elara felt something then: a gentle caress in her mind, almost as if a warm hand had reached out and touched it ever so softly. She reached out to the source of it and found that it was coming from the man, no more than 5 feet from her hiding place. She could feel his warmth and his light radiating off of him, and she couldn't help but wonder who this man was, who he was with and what they wanted. She prodded slowly at his mind, and surprisingly he let her in. She was flooded with images and words, about the Resistance, about their mission, and about who they were after. She repeatedly saw Kylo Ren's face; as a young boy, a teenager, an adult, and finally in their plan to capture him. As soon as she saw this, she withdrew from the man's mind as quickly as she could.

* * *

Kylo Ren made his way to where the intruders were, taking long and measured strides. He was alone, the way he liked it, and had his hand rested on his saber, knowing he would have to use it soon. Luke Skywalker, the man he had once called Uncle, along with his late father's Wookie companion, the girl Rey, the Resistance pilot, and FN-2187 had broken into the base, and Kylo Ren intended to make them regret it. His steps were quiet, his mask was off, and his loose clothes billowed behind him. He reached out with his mind to find the intruders when he felt something that made him freeze where he stood. He felt Luke and Rey, yes, but Elara was also there, much too close to the group for his liking. He knew she always kept her mind open to his, so he made his way to it. Although they couldn't see her (thank the gods), Luke was interacting with her, trying to entice her with his power and his light. Rage fueled him now and pushed him back into motion to find them. _No one_ was going to steal his Queen from him. She was his and only his, and he would kill anyone and everyone if it would keep her safe.

He was practically running through the halls now, desperate to keep Elara safe. His mind stayed on hers; it comforted him knowing she was still okay, until out of the blue, she shut down. He could no longer feel her mind no matter how hard he searched, and a panic set in, driving him even faster. He could feel himself approaching his uncle, and his grip tightened around his saber, ready to defend Elara at all costs from these people. He turned the corner just in time to see the Wookie's leg disappear around the other down the hall and broke into a full sprint, determined that she would not be taken from him. A quarter of the way down, something grabbed a hold of his right arm and yanked him in between two panels in the wall. He thrashed, determined to shake their grip from his upper arm, and felt a hand on his face.

Elara. Kylo relaxed instantly when their eyes met and let his cheek rest against her hand, her other still on his bicep. They were facing each other in the tight crevice, their bodies almost touching, both of them seemingly out of breath. His eyes took in every inch of her, making sure that she wasn't hurt before his eyes rested once again on her face. Her mouse brown hair had fallen across the right side of her face, and without thinking Kylo reached up and brushed it behind her ear, letting his hand rest on the back of her neck. Elara instantly blushed and glanced downward before meeting his eyes again. Kylo put a small amount of pressure on her neck, guiding her face toward his, and she responded eagerly.

When their lips met it was gentle, barely a brush at first, both of them hesitant to overstep their boundaries. The adrenaline coursing through them from the previous events made the hesitation disappear almost instantly, and the kiss deepened, desperation and pent up emotions flooding through them. Kylo's right hand was on her waist now, and Elara still had a tight grip on his upper arm, neither of them planning on letting go anytime soon. Her fingers tangled in his hair and they pressed together, not seeming to be able to get close enough to each other. In the back of their minds, they both knew this was probably a bad idea: she would one day have to marry a Lord or a Prince in order to keep her throne, and he could not afford to be close to someone out of fear that he would become vulnerable, but still they kissed.

They broke apart when they heard footsteps echo through the halls, their faces flushed and their breathing labored. Kylo gave her a shy smile before stepping out of their hiding place, lightly grabbing her hand to pull her out with him, and coming face to face with about twenty Troopers. At the head of the group was the redheaded General, a sneer plastered on his face.

"Perfect, you let them get away. Instead of hunting down our intruders as you were instructed, you decide to hide from everything with the _girl._ " Hux practically spat the last word out, and Elara felt anger boil in her. She stepped forward, clenching her fist, and the General's collar cinched.

"He wasn't _hiding_. Somehow they found out he was coming and they left before he got here." She seethed. Kylo placed a hand on her arm, and shook his head when she turned to look at him. " _He isn't worth it_ " she heard his voice in her head. She released an irate Hux, whose instant response was to strike her square across her face. She put a hand on her cheek and cried out in shock, but before she could retaliate, Kylo had already stepped between the two and drawn his saber. The fiery blade hissed and growled and was soon less than an inch from Hux's face.

"If you ever even _think_ of touching her again, _General_ " he hissed, "I will not hesitate to kill you."

The troopers shifted nervously, unsure of what to do, and Kylo withdrew his saber and held it at his side, the blade still burning. He resumed his grip on Elara's hand and pulled her the other way, muttering "Let's go home." They both turned and made it halfway down before the General's harsh voice called out once more.

"You would do well to remember your place, Ren."

Kylo stopped and Elara tugged gently on his hand, and she was relieved when he turned the blade off and slowly continued down the hall. She squeezed his hand reassuringly and he smiled down at her, excited at the thought of being with this woman, his Queen.


	7. Chapter 7

They returned to Kylo's room in silence, neither of them quite able to process the events of the day. Elara took a seat on the bed as Kylo went to change into a simple black t-shirt and loose black pants, soon returning to take a seat next to her. His brow was furrowed, and she wasn't able to tell if it was from concern or from anger until he reached a hand up to expose her quickly bruising cheek to him.

"You know, I should kill him for touching you." His voice was dark and thick with rage.

Elara shook her head, "I'm fine. It's not the worst think that's happened to me." She attempted to turn her face away from his, but his hand held her firmly in place.

"You are a Queen, Elara. And if he ever touches you again, I won't hesitate."

Her face softened, amazed at the thought that the First Order's most trusted hitman actually cared about her. Kylo caught her smiling and a suspicious look crept onto his face.

"What?" he asked shortly.

"You know you're not as big of a badass as you pretend to be."

A smirk appeared on his lips, "Yeah? Why do you say that?"

"I'm gonna kill him if he touches you" she mocked in a deep voice, attempting to mimic his.

This earned a large smile from the man, who nudged her playfully with his elbow. Without thinking, Elara leaned in close to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and scooting herself so there was less than a centimeter between them. She had her face in front of his, so close that she could feel his breathing on her cheek, and matched his smile before dipping in to kiss him once more. He was quick to respond, and his hand moved to her waist where his thumb began to make light strokes over the thin gown she was wearing. Her other hand was soon resting on his chest, and she swiped her tongue along his upper lip. He welcomed her, allowing their tongues to interact before she moved to straddle his waist, her arms now thrown lazily around his neck. His hands moved now so they were on her ass and slowly began to knead at her flesh. She let out a small gasp and pulled her fingers through his hair, grabbing a handful and lightly tugging on it. A growl sounded from deep inside his throat and he flipped them so she lay on her back underneath him, her gown bunched around her knees now. She ran her hands down his chest as he leaned over her and tugged upwards, and their kiss was broken for mere seconds as he sat up and pulled it over his head, throwing it carelessly across the room. His right hand propped him up beside her head as his left traced down from her chin to her right breast, gently massaging it. Her left hand was still tangled in his hair as her right moved down to his buttocks and pulled him so that his groin was now pressed to hers; her legs wrapping around his waist and her dress falling so that the black underwear she wore were exposed.

They became linked to each other that night, not only in body, but in mind as well. Each knew the other more intimately than ever before, and their love for each other only grew from then on. In the small hours of the next morning, they lay together. The room had grown warm throughout the night, so they lay naked above the sheets; Elara's head rested on Kylo's chest and their legs entwined. They were still soaring from their last go, and in the ecstasy of the moment, the man couldn't help but think what the future held for the two of them.

"Elara?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she responded, her eyes closed. She tilted her head up and kissed him, a grin on her lips, before setting her head back down on his chest.

"What happens now?" his voice was a whisper into her hair.

"What do you mean?" the high she was feeling took a sharp dip; she had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"I mean do you have to return to Volik? You could stay here – with me." She felt his anxiety at the question radiating off of him.

"Kylo, I-"

"My real name is Ben." He blurted out, leaving Elara momentarily shocked.

" _Ben,_ " the new name felt strange coming from her lips, "I can't just leave my people. If I were anything but the Queen, I would, please believe me. But I am, so I can't." She pressed her forehead against his, a pained look on her face, and whispered, "Beyond anything, I wish I could."

Instead of being upset by this, it only drove Ren to action all the more. "Then I'll find a way to come with _you_ , I swear it." And he meant it. Nothing but death would keep him from his Queen.

* * *

 **Wow, it's been forever. Sorry about that. I get distracted so easily, so I'm super sorry! Anyway, here's a tad of smutty goodness!**


	8. Author's Note

**Hey guys! Just wanted to address a little something that kind of pissed me off. This is MY story, and I'm sorry if some of you don't like where I've taken it, but it's my right as a writer to make it how I want it. Elara is a queen, someone who has been raised with the luxuries of one, and she's kidnapped by unfamiliar people in an unfamiliar place and is treated like dirt, so of course she wants something to remind her of who she really is, hence the jewelry. So what if that makes her "vapid"? It's her character, get over it. Kylo Ren is also desperate for someone to love him, which in my mind justifies his actions in this story. If he's slightly OOC, that's my mistake for not saying he would be in the story, but it still gives you no right to comment on something I've put my time into saying that you're "thanking God" that there's only 7 chapters (which, by the way, I plan to write more if time allows).**

 **Long story short, I'm sorry if it didn't go the way you wanted, but if you didn't like it you didn't have to read it all the way through. Thanks guest user Ashley for your input, and I hope you find a story better suited for you, because this one's going to stay the way it is.**


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